Athletics | Bell TowerOctober 16, 2024

From the Sidelines to the Main Stage

In the first game of the fall athletic calendar – a volleyball home and conference opener on Sept.28 – spectators had a chance to see the national championship UAFS cheer team.

Last year, the cheer team performed at nearly 40 volleyball and basketball home stands. The team was there to celebrate big plays, rev up the energy when it was low, and entertain fans with their acrobatic prowess. Then, the hours of practice and cheering at games all came down to less than five minutes on the year's biggest stage, the NCA Collegiate National Championships in Daytona, Florida.

Head cheer coach Branden Gregory described the event as a time where “you don’t get a redo; there’s no starting over.” But this is a team built on tradition, and the moment isn’t too big for the athletes who finally got their chance to shine. 

A video of the cheer team is here.

The trip to close the 2024 season was the Lions' 14th consecutive appearance. It concluded with UAFS returning to Fort Smith as National Champions, their fifth title since 2015. 

“The feeling is indescribable,” said senior captain Alexis Gibson.

“You go through the whole year putting your body through so much, and then at the end to win, you just feel like it’s so worth it,” seconded senior captain Alexis Davis.

Both women were part of the 2022 national championship team and felt the sting of coming in second place in 2023. Fellow captain Abby Barker, a junior, was competing for a national title for the first time. She described coming home with another banner and trophy to add to the case in the Stubblefield Center as “amazing.”

“We wanted it. We didn’t want to make any mistakes,” Abby said. 

The three captains described the moment UAFS was crowned as surreal, each reliving the moment before sharing the experience. It was as if time stood still before UAFS was called, they said; then the team stormed the mat – sharing tears of joy, shouting in happiness, and embracing as a family. The hours of dedication, dancing, stunting, and tumbling had all paid off.

With five titles and more than a dozen straight appearances in Daytona, UAFS has established itself as one of the best Division II squads in the nation. It is also one of only a few in the country supported by their institution’s athletic department, said Gregory, adding another measure of setting the standard.

The 2024 championship team will once again celebrate their victory during the basketball team.

 

 

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